Timing cover replacement tool

ABSTRACT

A tool for aligning the bolt holes in a timing-chain cover with matching holes in the front of an engine while applying and displacing the cover laterally downwardly to compress a gasket between the front of the engine oil pan and the bottom lip of the cover, the tool including a handle with bifurcated prongs extending therefrom into the holes, and a U-shaped band extending over the top of the cover and having holes in the free ends of the band to mount the band on the prongs.

United States Patent McDaniel Dec. 16, 1975 TIMING COVER REPLACEMENT TOOL v [76] Inventor: Lloyd B. McDaniel, 927 W. Larissa M E'mntmier Harold Whitehead st. Jacksonville Tex 75766 Assistant Exar nnerHarold P. Smith, Jr.

Attorney, Agent, 01' FirmDowell and Dowell [22] Filed: Oct. 4, 1974 [21] App]. No.: 512,761 [57] ABSTRACT A tool for aligning the bolt holes in a timing-chain [52] U.S. Cl; 29/267; 29/271 cover ith mat hing holes in the front of an engine [51] ll'olt. CL". B25B 27/14 while applying and displacing the Cover laterally Fleld 0f Search 1 13, downwardly to compress a gasket between the front of 77 the engine oil pan and the bottom lip of the cover, the

7 tool including a handle with bifurcated prongs extendl References Cited ing therefrom into the holes, and a U-shaped band ex- UNITED STATES PATENTS tending over the top of the cover and having holes in 1,109,094 9/1914 Weckbaugh 29/271 the free ends of the band to mount the band on the 1,245,079 10/1917 White 254/77 p 3,036.372 5/1962 Vigneron t. 29/252 3.102.447 9/1963 Gregory ct al 29/468 2 C 4 Drawmg K r T F l6 T. 1 M f g I I3 B w- H A F F-i H 11 D 12- 26?.-

US. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 1 TIMING COVER REPLACEMENT TOOL H FIELD OF INVENTION",

BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART I =Certain V-8 automotive type engines; particularly those currently manufactured by General Motors and including their265, 283, 307, 327, 350 and small 400 cubic inch displacement engines, are constructed such that the timing chaincover plate is overlapped at its bottom periphery by the front of the oil pan. ,When a complete overhaul of such an engine is being done this overlap presents no problem because both the timing cover and the oil pan must be removed so that, during reassembly, the timing cover is installed first, and then the oil-pan is assembled with its end overlapping the lower periphery of the already-installed cover. However, when repairs to the engine involve only the replacement of the timing chain, or a sprocket or a cam shaft, the oil pan is not removed, only the timing cover. The problem arises when the mechanic attempts to replace the timing cover and experiences difficulty due to the fact that the gasket which extends around the exposed forward edge of the oil pan must be compressed bythe lower periphery of the timing cover by shifting the cover strongly downwardly while inserting it between the pan and the lower portion of the engine block. Of course, this problem can be avoided by also loosening or removing the oil pan, but this is time consuming and therefore costly to a mechanic who is being paid on a piecework or commission basis.

The prior art shows a number of tools intended to be inserted through the holes in two mating members and then rocked to improve, the alignment of these members, for instance, US. Pat. Nos. Weckbaugh 1,109,094; Maxwell 2,572,502; Gregory 3,102,447 and Kane 3,685,126. Most of these show only a single prong, but the Gregory patent shows a two-pronged tool providing quicker alignment of a multiple-hole plate.

THE INVENTION The tool which is disclosed herein comprises a twopronged alignment implement having another separate U-shaped band member whose ends mount on the prongs thereof with the band overlying the top of the timing cover to push it firmly downwardly during installation. An experienced mechanic will recognize immediately the fact that the prong of a tool, or even a screwdriver blade, can easily be used to align the hole in a relatively thick plate with a hole in another member,'aided by the very thickness of the plate. See for instance, FIG. 3 of Kane U.S. Pat. No. 3,685,126. However, the problem is more difficult in the case of a timing cover plate because such a plate is made of thin sheet metal and the bolt holes are relatively large in diameter, i.e., three-sixteenths nominal diameter. In order to achieve reasonable alignment it is necessary to do a great deal of prying and hammering, and this can -'result in damage to the tapped holes in the engine block, as well as loss of time and perhaps injury to the hands of the mechanic working in the cramped space in ther'to the cover or'to the tapped holes in the engine block. 1 v 7 It is another major object of the invention to provide a forked toolhaving a second member comprising a receive the prongs of the forked tool, which prongs ,pass through :these openings first and then through the holes in the timing cover and finally into the tapped holes in the engine block. The'band overlies the top-of the cover, and when the tool handle is pulled downwardlyx the band drags the timing cover downwardly with-it.

It is another major object of the invention to provide a.tool as. set forth above in which the endsv of the U- shaped band can be adjustably positioned back and forth along'the prongs of the forked member so as to change the position of these ends with respect to the fulcrum points about which the prongs of the forked member are rocked, thereby adjusting the force and increment of downward movement of the band acting upon the ti ming cover for a given movement of the handleof the tool. h p I V ,A further object of the invention is to. provide a rugged t ool which is efficient in the installation of timing vcovers without requiring the loosening or removing of the engine oil pan.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partial side view of the front portion of the engine, partly in section,v showing a tool according to the present invention installing a timing chain cover;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a fragmentary portion of the same engine with the cover plate removed;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the bottom portion of a timing chain cover plate; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tool according to the'present invention with the two members of the tool separated from each other.

Referring now to the drawing, FIGS. 1 and 2 show the block of an engine E having an oil pan P bolted to the lower portion of the engine casting, and said casting also having a machine face F with tapped holes l-l into which the timing-chain cover plate C is to be bolted by bolts B.

The cover plate C can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 and includes a bolting flange K extending around its outer periphery and provided with holes which line up with the tapped holes H shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in the engine block. The cover plate also has an outwardly extending domed main cover portion M having a top portion T which will be used in a manner hereinafter stated to help push the cover down into mounted-position. Around the lower periphery of the cover, there is an arcuate lip portion L which is intended to slide in between the pan P and the bottom of the castingin the vicinity of the reference numeral D as shown in FIG. 1. The problem making it difi'rcult to insert the cover C results from the fact that the pan P is already in place and the gasket G as shown in FIG. 1 must be com pressed before the lip portion L of the cover C can be inserted beneath the point D. The purpose of the present tool is to achieve the necessary compression of the gasket G and thus make it possible to insert and secure the timing cover C without having to remove the bolts Sand drop the pan P.

The tool itself for accomplishing this purpose can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 4. The tool comprises a working portion including a bifurcated metal bar having two prong ends 11 and 12 and a handle portion 13 welded to the bar 10. The two prongs 11 and 12 extend through openings in the ends 14 and 15 of a U-shaped band member 16 which is very strongly constructed to provide a heavy band 14 and strong bosses at its free ends through which the openings pass.

As can be seen best in FIG. 1, the prongs l1 and 12 pass through the openings in the ends 14 and 15 of the U-shaped band 16, and then they pass through the mounting holes in the flange K of the timing cover C, and finally the prongs enter the tapped holes H in the engine block. It is important to notice that there is a spacing 20 between the location of the ends 14 and 15 of the band 16 and the fulcrum points where the prongs 11 and 12 enter the holes H in the block of the engine E. This spacing is easily adjusted by sliding the lower ends 14 and 15 of the band back and forth along the prongs, and this adjustment in the spacing 20 changes the length of the lever arm acting upon the lower ends of the band 16, whereby the motion in the downward direction imparted to the band 16 can be increased or decreased, while the downward force applied to the cover C by the band is correspondingly decreased or increased, respectively. This feature of adjustability is considered very important since it allows optimum use of the tool for the purpose intended.

In use, when the tool has been positioned as shown in FIG. 1, it requires a downward force of approximately 15 to 20 pounds applied to the handle in the vicinity of the arrow A in order to drive the cover downwardly against the resistance of the gasket G. This is done with the cover in a slanting upright position so that the lip L can be entered into the opening between the point D at the bottom of the block and the front of the oil pan P. An important feature of the present tool is that this effort must be accomplished usually while the engine is 4 still in the car and the oil pan is still in place as shown in FIG. 1, and this installation involves working in a very narrow and congested area behind the radiator.

Formerly, without this tool it was necessary to apply downward pressure using several screwdrivers, and then driving the cover in place using a rubber hammer in an effort to force the lip L of the cover inwardly against the drag of the compressed gasket. With the present tool, it is unnecessary to strike the cover with a hammer, since lowering of the handle 13 of the tool into the dashed line position in FIG. 1 places the lip L of the cover in the desired position. Thereafter it is an easy matter to push the top of the cover against the machined front surface F of the engine by hand. After this has been accomplished, several bolts B are installed and tightened sufficiently to hold the alignment while the tool is removed and the remainder of the bolts installed and tightened.

The present invention is not to be limited to the exact embodiment shown in the drawing, forobviously changes may be made therein within the scope of the following claims.

I claim: I

l. A tool comprising a handle portion, a working portion comprising a bar attached to said handle portion and having spaced prongs extending from the bar away from the handle portion, and a band portion comprising a U-shaped band having free ends with openings therethrough extending normal to the plane of the band and sized and spaced to pass said prongs, and said working portion and said band portion being cooperatively assembled with said prongs extending through the openings in said free ends.

2. A tool as set forth in claim 1 for applying a cover member having a domed main portion raised from a peripheral mounting flange with spaced bolt holes extending therethrough to an engine having matching bolt holes where the cover member must be displaced laterally with respect to the direction of said bolt holes to compress a gasket, the prongs of said tool entering two of said spaced holes, and said band extending snugly around said domed main portion of the cover on the side thereof away from the gasket, the free ends being slidable along the prongs to adjust the leverage applied to the band to displace the cover laterally. 

1. A tool comprising a handle portion, a working portion comprising a bar attached to said handle portion and having spaced prongs extending from the bar away from the handle portion, and a band portion comprising a U-shaped band having free ends with openings therethrough extending normal to the plane of the band and sized and spaced to pass said prongs, and said working portion and said band portion being cooperatively assembled with said prongs extending through the openings in said free ends.
 2. A tool as set forth in claim 1 for applying a cover member having a domed main portion raised from a peripheral mounting flange with spaced bolt holes extending therethrough to an engine having matching bolt holes where the cover member must be displaced laterally with respect to the direction of said bolt hoLes to compress a gasket, the prongs of said tool entering two of said spaced holes, and said band extending snugly around said domed main portion of the cover on the side thereof away from the gasket, the free ends being slidable along the prongs to adjust the leverage applied to the band to displace the cover laterally. 